Written Answers Tuesday 10 May 2005

Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many hospital admissions due to alcohol-related liver disease there have been in each year since 1997, broken down by NHS board.

Rhona Brankin: Information on all alcohol-related liver disease admissions to general acute hospitals during 1997-98 to 2003-04 is shown in table 1.

  1. Scottish General Acute Hospital1,2 Discharge Records With An Explicit Diagnosis of Alcoholic Liver Disease3; 1997-98 to 2003-04

  

Area of Residence 
Discharge Period


1997-98
1998-99
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04P


Total
5,005
5,156
5,576
6,217
7,109
7,429
8,291


Scotland Residents
4,973
5,118
5,554
6,166
7,057
7,374
8,261


Argyll and Clyde 
523
458
503
536
628
691
655


Ayrshire and Arran 
244
324
285
332
428
466
582


Borders 
64
80
87
88
100
77
52


Dumfries and Galloway
88
100
118
123
165
176
178


Fife 
257
258
390
427
465
413
440


Forth Valley 
272
272
217
257
325
303
301


Grampian 
320
345
372
404
433
409
518


Greater Glasgow 
1,321
1,335
1,468
1,719
1,787
1,926
2,266


Highland 
157
161
185
133
211
281
349


Lanarkshire 
406
531
594
614
761
965
1,089


Lothian 
1,057
979
969
1,151
1,333
1,202
1,249


Tayside 
220
227
330
318
366
411
519


Islands4
44
48
36
64
55
54
63


Other5 
32
38
22
51
52
55
30



  Source: SMR01 (valid records only).

  Date: 21 April 2005.

  Ref: 20051133.

  PProvisional.

  Notes:

  1. Includes acute hospitals (excludes maternity hospitals, mental illness hospitals and psychiatric units).

  2. Information on hospital discharges relates to episodes of in-patient or day case care rather than individual patients. The same patient may account for several hospital admissions during the course of a year (or across years) and will be counted each time in the attached table. Transfer cases have been included.

  3. Diagnostic information is defined by using the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Diseases 10th Revision (ICD10).

  Alcoholic Liver Disease : K70.

  4. Orkney, Shetland and Western Isles.

  5. Patients resident outwith Scotland and patients where the area of residence is not known.

Asylum Seekers

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many children have been detained at Dungavel House immigration removal centre since September 2001, broken down by month, on how many of these children were referred to the Reporter to the Children’s Panel and, of those referred, on how many were deported before the reporter had concluded his investigations.

Malcolm Chisholm: The operation of Dungavel is a matter for the Home Office. As such, the Scottish Executive does not collect information on the number of children held in Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre.

  I understand that six children who were resident in Dungavel have been referred to the Principal Reporter under section 52 of the Children (Scotland) Act. None of these were subsequently referred onto a hearing. All six children were deported before the reporter had completed his investigations.

Children

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15706 by Euan Robson on 21 April 2005, when it intends to collate the relevant data so that any harm to children whose parents are imprisoned can be properly assessed.

Euan Robson: We have no plans to collect such data.

Dental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether dental screening takes place for all children in Primary 1 and Primary 7 and which NHS board areas provide dental screening for all children in Primary 1 and Primary 7.

Rhona Brankin: A dental inspection is offered to all children in Scotland at 2 key stages, primary 1 and primary 7. This is achieved through participation in the National Dental Inspection Programme. The extent of involvement in the programme varies across boards for both P1 and P7 inspections. Reasons for such variation include lack of consent and absences from school on the day of inspection.

Employment

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2711 by Mr Jim Wallace on 1 October 2003, whether it will publish an updated version of the answer reconciling the totals with the data in the table.

Mr Jim Wallace: The totals in table 1 of the answer to question S2W-2711 are accurate. However, the table should have been issued with footnotes explaining that the figures were rounded to the nearest thousand and that the totals may not necessarily equal the sum of the individual components due to rounding.

  For example, if the number of NEET (not in education, training or employment) males is 18,300 then this would be rounded to 18,000 and if the number of NEET females is 20,400 then this would be rounded to 20,000. The total NEET would be 38,700 and this would be rounded to 39,000 which means that the rounded estimates for the males and females would not add to the rounded total. This is why the male and female figures do not sum to the total figure for March 2000 to February 2001.

  The Office for National Statistics (ONS) carry out the Labour Force Survey (LFS) from which these figures are sourced. ONS stipulate that estimates from the LFS are rounded to the nearest thousand.

  The table is reissued with the footnotes that were omitted in the answer to question S2W-2711.

  Table 1: 16 to 19 Year Olds Not in Education, Training or Employment (NEET) in Scotland, by Gender

  

NEET
March 1996 to February 1997
March 1997 to February 1998
March 1998 to February 1999
March 1999 to February 2000
March 2000 to February 2001
March 2001 to February 2002
March 2002 to February 2003


Total 
36,000
34,000
36,000
38,000
39,000
39,000
36,000


% of age group
15%
13%
14%
15%
15%
15%
14%


Males
20,000
18,000
19,000
21,000
18,000
21,000
20,000


% of age group
16%
14%
14%
16%
14%
17%
15%


Females
16,000
16,000
17,000
17,000
20,000
18,000
16,000


% of age group
13%
12%
14%
14%
16%
14%
13%



  Source: Labour Force Survey, Office for National Statistics

  Notes:

  1. Estimates are rounded to the nearest thousand.

  2. The total may not equal the sum of the individual components due to rounding.

Enterprise

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its commitment in its financial services strategy, Success , to "develop a scorecard approach" to monitor competitiveness against international benchmarks, what will be measured under this approach.

Mr Jim Wallace: It is critical for the future success of this global industry in Scotland, both that the industry remains competitive and that Scotland remains a competitive place in which to do business. Accordingly, the aim of the scorecard approach is to develop a range of measures, which taken together, will provide insight into the international position of the industry. The scorecard is not an end in itself but a mechanism through which we can gain a better understanding of the underlying competitiveness of the industry in Scotland and its relative performance across a number of key measures. These measures will be agreed by the Financial Services Advisory Board following a review of existing practice in this area and the availability of appropriate measures both domestically and internationally.

Enterprise

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its commitment in its financial services strategy, Success , to "develop a scorecard approach" to monitor competitiveness against international benchmarks, when this scorecard will be developed, produced and published.

Mr Jim Wallace: The scorecard approach will be developed over the course of this year and will be published once an approach has been agreed with the Financial Services Advisory Board.

Enterprise

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its commitment in its financial services strategy, Success , to "develop a scorecard approach" to monitor competitiveness against international benchmarks, who will carry out the scoring exercise.

Mr Jim Wallace: The work will be carried out by members of the Financial Services Advisory Board and its implementation group, drawing in external expertise where necessary.

Enterprise

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its commitment in its financial services strategy, Success , to "develop a scorecard approach" to monitor competitiveness against international benchmarks, who will audit the scores.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Financial Services Advisory Board will monitor and audit Scotland’s relative performance. Wherever possible, material will be drawn from the public domain so that anyone with an interest will be able to assess its quality.

Environment

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has commissioned, or is aware of, any studies that assess the carbon emissions from the sourcing of materials for, or the manufacture, transportation and use of, cement.

Ross Finnie: Scottish greenhouse gas emissions data are available in Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1999-2002,  a copy of which has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 34590) and are also available on the Executive’s climate change website at www.scotland.gov.uk/climatechange .

  The inventories include data on carbon dioxide emissions from cement production. Emissions associated with other stages in the life cycle of cement, such as transportation, are contained within the relevant sectoral emissions, but the element attributable to cement is not reported separately.

Environment

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of total carbon emissions is attributable to the cement-making process.

Ross Finnie: Scottish greenhouse gas emissions data are available in Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1999-2002,  a copy of which has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 34590) and are also available on the Executive’s climate change website at www.scotland.gov.uk/climatechange .

  The inventories identify carbon dioxide emissions from cement production. In 2002, carbon dioxide emissions from cement production accounted for 0.7% of Scotland’s total carbon dioxide emissions.

Environment

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-1781 by Allan Wilson on 25 March 2004, what progress it has made on its consideration of environmental courts; when it expects to make an announcement, and what plans it has for public consultation on this issue.

Ross Finnie: Work is in progress to consider the evidence from a number of jurisdictions of the most effective mechanisms for determining a range of criminal and non-criminal environmental cases.

Environment

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which responsibilities in relation to the regulation of carbon sequestration and capture are (a) devolved and (b) reserved.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive does not currently regulate carbon sequestration and capture.

  There is a mixture of reserved and devolved responsibilities for policies and functions that have an influence on carbon sequestration. In general terms, fiscal policies that may influence carbon sequestration or capture, and offshore capture, are reserved. Land-based policies on matters such as agriculture or forestry, that may influence sequestration or capture, are devolved.

Equine Industry

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to introduce a charge on equine manure heaps, similar to that to be introduced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in England and Wales on 1 July 2005.

Ross Finnie: In Scotland the storage of horse manure, pending its collection, at the site where it is produced, does not require payment of a charge. Whether composting horse manure attracts a charge depends on the scale of the activity, and the method by which it is undertaken. The current regulations regarding composting in Scotland have been in force since 12 January 2005.

Europe

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will report on the outcome of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council held in Luxembourg on 26 April 2005.

Ross Finnie: I attended the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Luxembourg on 26 April 2005 together with Lord Whitty.

  Following the signing of the accession treaties for Bulgaria and Romania, ministers from those countries attended the council, in their capacity as active observers, for the first time. All member states warmly welcomed their arrival.

  On agriculture, the commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection reported to the council on the recent circulation of an unauthorised GM maize in the European market and on recent contacts he had had with the American authorities on this and other matters. A number of member states, while deploring the time that it had taken before the GM incident had come to light, welcomed the control measures that were now in place. A test for the presence of this particular GM would shortly be available to underpin certification requirements aimed at avoiding a repeat of the present problem.

  On reform of the Rural Development Regulation, member states expressed views on two issues relating to the treatment of Less Favoured Areas (LFAs) under the Regulations. Member states endorsed the need for continued support of this kind but expressed a wide range of criticism of the draft criteria for the designation of intermediate LFAs which the commission had recently put forward for discussion. The UK added that changes would clearly be needed to meet criticism from the Court of Auditors but that any such changes should be compatible with WTO Green Box requirements. Aid to the LFAs should be aimed at delivering specific benefits and not simply serve as an additional production subsidy. The commissioner took note of the views expressed and undertook to reflect further. The Presidency indicated that a further revision of the draft regulation would emerge in the next few days: it remained their intention to reach agreement on this issue before the conclusion of the Luxembourg Presidency.

  The commission reported a successful conclusion to negotiations with the Russian Federation on the plant health controls affecting EU exports to Russia.

  Under other business, Denmark asked the commission to consider ending the payment of export refunds on live cattle. The UK and a number of other member states supported this argument; several others took a contrary view. The commissioner took note, emphasising the importance of maintaining high welfare standards in this trade which was currently very small. Belgium raised concerns about depressed prices in the egg sector; Hungary, supported by a number of other member states, raised concerns about the labelling of imported third-country honey, and a number of landlocked member states raised concerns about supplies and prices in the cereals market.

  France noted that negotiations between the Community and other countries in the WTO over methods for expressing tariffs in ad valorem terms had encountered technical difficulties. The UK joined others in expressing regret that these difficulties had occurred but urged the commission and member states not to lose sight of the wider picture: the community had received substantial criticism over its position but it remained important to re-engage the negotiations with a view to making progress on the WTO dossier as a whole by the end of July.

  No fisheries items were on the agenda.

Families

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider provision of a national family support service.

Hugh Henry: At national level, the Scottish Executive provides grant assistance under the Children, Young People and Families Unified Voluntary Sector Fund to four family relationship support organisations in the voluntary sector - Family Mediation Scotland, Couple Counselling Scotland, Scottish Marriage Care and Stepfamily Scotland. We want to see these bodies work effectively together, and have made additional funding of £250,000 last year and a further £250,000 this year available to support initiatives to integrate administrative functions, for the benefit of the end user.

  At local level, family mediation and relationship counselling services to clients are mainly delivered by independent voluntary bodies affiliated to the national organisations.

Freedom of Information

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to amend Schedule 1 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 to include offices or organisations not currently listed.

Ms Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16048 on 3 May 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament/webapp/wa.search .

Freedom of Information

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which persons or bodies it has designated as Scottish public authorities under section 5 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Ms Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16049 on 3 May 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament/webapp/wa.search .

Freedom of Information

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to designate any persons or bodies as Scottish public authorities under Section 5 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Ms Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16050 on 3 May 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament/webapp/wa.search .

Freedom of Information

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will designate Premier Custodial Group Ltd, as operators of HM Prison Kilmarnock, as a Scottish public authority under section 5 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Ms Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16047 on 3 May 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament/webapp/wa.search .

Freedom of Information

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which PPP/PFI operators it considers are providing a service that could be considered to be a function of a Scottish public authority, as defined in section 3 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Ms Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16046 on 3 May 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament/webapp/wa.search .

Health

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to consult patients who have undergone an ileostomy on the future arrangements for the supply of ostomy equipment.

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with the Ileostomy Association regarding plans for the future supply of ostomy equipment to patients.

Mr Andy Kerr: There have been no discussions to date.

  A consultation on the future arrangements for the supply of appliances currently available on prescription was conducted in 2003 when views were sought from all interested parties. Only three patient organisations responded - the British Colostomy Association, the Ileostomy and Internal Pouch Support Group, and the Dumfries and Galloway Ileostomy Association.

  The way forward was announced in January 2005 and the development proposals will ensure that patients, their representative bodies and stoma nurses all have the opportunity to be involved in the detail of the new arrangements.

Justice

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its reaction is to the reference by Michael Jackson’s defence attorney to the Shirley McKie case and its implications for fingerprinting worldwide and his statement that false positives in fingerprint identification have become a matter of concern following "a botched 1999 murder investigation in Scotland".

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking regarding the international reputation of Scottish forensic services in response to adverse comments relating to the performance of Scottish Criminal Records Office fingerprint experts by Michael Jackson’s defence attorney.

Cathy Jamieson: It would not be appropriate for Scottish ministers to comment on the arguments that have been made by Mr Robert Sanger in his defence of Michael Jackson.

NHS Waiting Times

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15081 by Mr Andy Kerr on 17 March 2005, when it will write to me with the information requested.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15082 by Mr Andy Kerr on 17 March 2005, when it will write to me with the information requested.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15083 by Mr Andy Kerr on 17 March 2005, when it will write to me with the information requested.

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15084 by Mr Andy Kerr on 17 March 2005, when it will write to me with the information requested.

Mr Andy Kerr: I wrote to the member on 9 May, providing a full response to the question.

Police

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many reports have been recorded to the police involving racism in each year from 1999 to date, broken down by police force.

Cathy Jamieson: The information is as follows

  Number of Racist Incidents

  

Force
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04


Dumfries and Galloway
24
57
54
62
53


Fife
186
166
405
438
541


Grampian
103
180
236
303
125


Lothian and Borders
552
551
594
676
601


Northern
25
75
82
98
116


Strathclyde
866
1,241
1,495
1,615
1,833


Tayside
302
308
254
212
305


Central
184
153
235
189
227


Total
2,242
2,731
3,355
3,593
3,801



  Source: Annual Statistical Returns from Forces to HM Inspectorate of Constabulary for Scotland.

Police

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many intelligence-led enforcement actions there were within the four police divisions in Glasgow city centre in each year since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: This information is not held centrally. The deployment and utilisation of resources in the Strathclyde force area is a matter for the Chief Constable.

Police

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15561 by Cathy Jamieson on 22 April 2005, which consultancy firm carried out the initial review of the criminal history service replacement project after March 2004; what the (a) cost and (b) remit was of the review, and whether the consultants were asked to assess the performance requirements of the new system.

Cathy Jamieson: In March 2004, Logica CMG carried out consultancy work to assess whether the project being undertaken by the Scottish Police Information Strategy would deliver a replacement criminal history system by June 2004. The cost was £3,375 plus VAT. Assessing the performance requirements of the new system was not within the remit of the Logica CMG consultancy.

Police

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15561 by Cathy Jamieson on 22 April 2005, which consultancy firm carried out the further review of the criminal history service replacement project in January 2005 and what the cost of the review was.

Cathy Jamieson: Following a tendering exercise, Real Time Engineering Ltd were commissioned in January 2005 to develop a plan which identified key outputs and milestones for the successful delivery of the criminal history system replacement project being developed by the Scottish Police Information Strategy including an informed assessment of the required human, financial and physical resources necessary to implement the plan. This consultancy cost £39,000 plus VAT.

Police

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15561 by Cathy Jamieson on 22 April 2005, whether either of the consultancy firms which carried out the reviews of the criminal history service replacement project has any involvement with the new stages of the project and, if so, in what way.

Cathy Jamieson: Currently, there are no consultancy firms involved in the criminal history system replacement project being undertaken by the Scottish Police Information Strategy. Further input will be required to deliver the replacement project, particularly fresh project management. Additional input will be secured following a tendering exercise using companies appointed to the Framework for IT Services Scotland contracts.

Police

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15561 by Cathy Jamieson on 22 April 2005, what the cost of the procurement exercise will be which will run in parallel with the first phase of the new criminal history service replacement project.

Cathy Jamieson: A procurement exercise is not being run in parallel with the work to generate a revised project initiation document and the performance testing of the criminal history system replacement project being undertaken by the Scottish Police Information Strategy. As a contingency against concerns about performance, preparations will be undertaken for a procurement exercise.

Police

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15561 by Cathy Jamieson on 22 April 2005, what the total cost of the criminal history system replacement project has been to date, including consultancy costs.

Cathy Jamieson: The criminal history system replacement project was progressed in-house by the Scottish Police Information Strategy and they did not define a separate budget.

Prison Service

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total number of injuries to prisoners reportable to the Health and Safety Executive was in each of the last five financial years, broken down by prison.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The available information is in the following table:

  

Establishment
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05


Aberdeen
2
2
0
2
1


Barlinnie
2
1
1
0
0


Castle Huntly
0
0
1
2
0


Cornton Vale
0
0
0
0
1


Dumfries
2
0
0
0
0


Edinburgh
1
2
0
0
3


Glenochil
2
3
4
2
0


Greenock
0
0
0
1
0


Inverness
1
0
0
0
0


Low Moss
4
2
0
6
0


Noranside
1
0
0
4
0


Perth
1
2
2
4
2


Peterhead
2
1
1
0
3


Polmont
2
2
0
1
4


Shotts
6
5
1
1
3

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its advice was sought by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in respect of my request to attend the media conference in HM Prison Kilmarnock on 26 April 2005 and, if so, what advice was given and by whom.

Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive’s advice was not sought by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in respect of Mr Neil’s request to attend the media conference.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why the report into HM Prison Kilmarnock by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, due to be published on 26 April 2005, was released to the press 24 hours before being given to MSPs.

Cathy Jamieson: HM Chief Inspector of Prisons has decided that whenever a full inspection report is published it is accompanied by a press conference and a news release. The report is issued with a strict embargo ensuring that those attending the conference have had time to consider its contents and recommendations.

Prison Service

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how, and what timescale it will establish whether, and to what extent, the recommendations contained in Sheriff Colin McKay’s fatal accident inquiry report into the suicide of James Barclay in January 2002 are being implemented by Premier Prison Services.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-15552 on 14 April 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Radioactive Waste

Nora Radcliffe (Gordon) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the status is of the application under the terms of the Radioactive Substances Act 1993 to dispose of the low-level waste from the UK Atomic Energy Site at Dounreay to Drigg in Cumbria.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has consulted widely on the proposal to dispose of low-level waste from the UKAEA site at Dounreay to Drigg in Cumbria. It sent a copy of its minded-to-grant authorisation to the Scottish Executive on 9 February this year so that the Scottish ministers could consider whether they wished to exercise their powers of direction under section 23 of the act.

  We have considered the authorisation which the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) was minded to grant. We have taken the decision that a number of matters, which related to government policy and which SEPA was not able to take account of, were important enough to warrant directing the agency to refuse this particular application. A copy of the Direction and Explanatory Note have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 36419).

Suicide

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to extend the Choose Life strategy to include older people as a priority group for the prevention of suicides.

Rhona Brankin: There are no immediate plans to change the current priority groups identified in Choose Life, the Scottish Executive’s National Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent Suicide. Choose Life implementation already targets the elderly for suicide prevention support, as older people are included within the following priority groups:

  People with mental health problems (including depression);

  People who attempt suicide;

  People affected by the aftermath of suicide;

  People recently bereaved;

  People who have lost employment or been unemployed for a period of time;

  People in isolated communities, and

  People who are homeless.

  Where there are particular issues about suicides in later life in local areas, local Choose Life action plans can prioritise local "at risk" groups. Existing examples include befriending schemes in Fife and West Dunbartonshire.

  We have undertaken to keep Choose Life targets under review. Choose Life is currently being evaluated independently; this will help inform the setting of priorities for the next stage of implementation beyond 2006-07.

  It is worth noting, however, that the suicide rate for older people (over 55) is below the average for the general population. It has been falling over the past 30 years, against the trend for other age groups.

Water Industry

Scott Barrie (Dunfermline West) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an update on its progress in implementing the Water Framework Directive.

Lewis Macdonald: I am publishing today the second annual report on the implementation of the Water Framework Directive, the Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003 – Annual Report to the Scottish Parliament -2004 . I am placing copies of this document in the Parliament’s Reference Centre. (Bib. number 36410).